Overhead pin-setting mechanism.



R. F. DOWNEY. OVERHEAD PIN SETTING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 9'. I916.

Patented J uly 3, 1917,

PATENTQFIGE.

RICHARD F. DOWNEY, OF MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR T0 DOWNEY AUTO- MATIC PIN SETTER 00., 0F MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN, A CORPORATION OF WIS- CONSIN.

OVERHEAD PIN -SETTI1\TG MECHANISM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 3, 19ft.

To all whom it may concern:

Be. it known that I, RICHARD F. DOWNEY, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State of Wisconsin, have invented certam new and useful Improvements in Overhead Pin-Setting ,Mechanism; and I do hereby declarethat the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

My invention has for its object to provide a simple, economical and effective pinsetting mechanism ofthat general type disclosed by my Patent No. 1,181,649, dated May 2, 191.6. In the patent referred to the bowling alley proper is'designed to be positioned above the floor line of a building and in many instances this arrangement is not desirable for the reason that the pin must be sunk below the floor line and will mar the building, or project through the ceiling. My present invention is designed to operate entirely above the floor line and the pin assembling and setting mechanism is arranged to operate above the line of the. alley.

With the above object in view the invention consists in certain peculiarities of construct'ion and combination of parts as hereinafter set forth with reference to the accompanying drawing and subsequently claimed.

The drawing illustrates a diagrammatic view of a pin-setting apparatus embodying the features of my invention. I

Referring by characters to the drawing, 1 represents the alley proper and 2 a swinging section constituting a table for the pins, the said table being fulcrumed upon a trunnion 3 at its" rear end. This table carries magnets 4; the cores of which project therethrough and said table is shown as having an arm 5 extending therefrom, by means of which 'it is raised by a runner 6 from its normal horizontal position in' alinement with the alley to a vertical position, as indicated by dotted lines.

As fully after the pins a: are knocked down, they drop rearward of the table section into some type of well and from this well they are withdrawn by collecting magnets 2 which act upon metallic cores .2 with which the magnets are provided. The diagram shows the magnets carried by a suitable frame 7 whichis raised orlowered from the well in any suitable manner, not shown. After the lines Y, with the set forth in my previous patent,

pins have been collected and elevated to the position illustrated, it is necessary to drop them in a templet tray or pin-holder 8. With this in, view the pin-holder 8 is provided with a desired number of skeleton pockets 8 for the reception of the pins and said holder is secured to a slidable crosshead 9 by a pivot connection 10 at itslower end. The holder is held in a horizontal position as shown by a weight 10 which causes the holder to engage a stop pin 10". The cross-head 9 is mounted upon a pair of guide-rods 11, it being understood that two of the same are provided upon opposite sides of the alley, whereby the holder mechanism can be raised or lowered, the same being held in its elevated position by a sheave guided weighted cable 12. The holder is also provided with an arm 13 which has connected thereto an actuating cable 6 that is suitably trained over pulleys.

From the foregoing description, it will be manifest that when the cable 6 is pulled downwardly, the pin-holder will first swing to a horizontal position, as shown in dotted pockets positioned in alinement with the pins suspended thereover. The pin-collecting frame 7 is then lowered in any suitable manner, whereby the pins are caused to enter the pockets 8 and thereafter the magnets are deenergized to cause said pins to rest into the pockets.

A further downward draw on the cable 6 will cause the pin-holding tray to travel in a like direction in opposition to the weighted cable 12 coming to a stop at a point juxtaposing the pivot 3 of the swinging table 2, in which position the cross-head is secured by a lock mechanism 14. The operator then releases the cable 6, whereby the pin holder will revolve upon its pivot point 10 to a vertical position, as indicated in dotted lines with the metallic shod butts of the pins facing the magnets 4, but at an angle approximately therefrom. The operator then manipulates the cable 6, whereby the swinging section or table 2 is swung to a vertical position and in this position its magnets being energized they will cause a .draw upon the pins :0. Thereafter the table is permitted to swing to its horizontal position and in its swing the magnets will thus draw the pins free from the holder 8 and bring them in their proper grouping to a position of play in advance of the alley 1. The magnets 4 are then deenergized and the apparatus is ready for Operation.

When it is desired to repeat the pinassembling movement, the locking mechanism 14: is manually actuated whereby the weighted cable will cause the pin holder and cross-head to rise to the position indicated in dotted lines in the diagram.

It will be noticed that the pin holder of the overhead spotting mechanism in its normal position stands vertically so as to be clear of the downward path of travel of the pin collector frame 7 but is capable of being swung under the frame to a horizontal position for receiving the pins after they are collected.

The essential features of the invention are to provide some means for maintaining the holder in an elevated position and for controlling it whereby it is swung to receive the pins and then swung to a position at an angle of 90 preparatory to the pins being extracted therefrom by the magnets and, while I have shown a diagrammatically expressed mechanism for accomplishing the desired results, it isunderstood that the details of construction may be varied within the knowledge of the skilled mechanic.

I claim r 1. A pin-setting mechanism comprising a swinging table carrying a series of magnets, a vertically movable cross-head positioned over the table, a pin holder in pivotal ,union therewith, means for causing the pin holder to move downwardly, means for swinging l the pin holder to a horizontal position for receiving pins, and means for swinging said holder to a vertical position juxtaposing the swinging table whereby the magnets of the same may be brought into alinement with the butts of said pins.

2. An overhead pin setting mechanism comprising a swinging table carrying a series of magnets adapted to be brought into alinement with an alley, a vertically movable pin holder adapted to be moved downwardly in juxtaposition to the swinging table, and means for moving the pin holder to a vertical position and a horizontal position selectively.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand at Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State of Wisconsin.

RICHARD F. DOWNEY. 

